AIM: To study the effect of Qi acupoint specific acupuncture on points of the unaffected legs on pain and motor function in patients with shoulder periarthritis, and then compare with the effect of conventional acupuncture. METHODS: From January and December 2004, 115 patients with shoulder periarthritis accordant with the diagnostic criteria in Practical Orthopaedics, were selected from the Professional Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic of Characteristic Therapy for Cervicodynia and Lumbodynia, Guangzhou Sanitarium of Chinese PLA and the clinic of Department of Orthopaedics, Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They were divided into treatment group (n = 80) and control group (n = 35). Qi acupoint specific acupuncture was used in the treatment group according to the principles that acupuncture was on the right acupoints if the left side was attacked or on the feet if the head was found attacked. The points of healthy legs were acupunctured according to the following principles: main acupoint -- Shenguan, coordinated acupoints -- four limbs or Dihuang. Acupuncture took inverse horse acupuncture, combined with arterial pulsation acupuncture and cutting spiculum acupuncture. The main acupoints in control group took 3 points on shoulder or Jianyu, Jianliao, Jiannao, coordinated acupoints, Jugu, Quchi, Hegu, etc, by routinely taking acupoints and routine acupuncture. All patients were acupunctured once a day keeping the needle for 30 minutes once. The degree of pain (quantification by number 0 to 10, 0 as be painless, and 10 as intolerable pain) and motor function of shoulder (5 grades: 0 point as be unlimited and 4 as be greatly limited) were evaluated before and after each acupuncture. The synthetic outcomes were assessed after 1 course (5 days), and the remarkable effectiveness manifested the apparent alleviation of shoulder pain and the motor function of shoulder joint more than 2 marks. RESULTS: The 80 patients in the treatment group and 35 in the control group were all analyzed in the result. (1) The score of pain after 1 course was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (0.80 +/- 0.56 points versus 2.25 +/- 0.44 points, t = 13.62, p < 0.01). (2) The score of motor function of shoulder joint after 1 course in the treatment group (0.75 +/- 0.61 points) was significantly higher than that in the control group (1.97 +/- 0.45 points) (t = 10.68, p < 0.01). (3) The markedly effective rate after 1 course was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group (92.50% versus 34.29%, Chi2 = 43.75, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Compared with traditional acupuncture, Qi acupoint specific acupuncture can alleviate pain, improve the motor function of shoulder joint and promote the interventional outcomes of shoulder periarthritis more evidently, which may be associated with the acupuncture emphasizing the general opinions and centering on the directional impact on the focus.

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